Blobfish

http://www.kottke.org

The Psychrolutes marcidus, aka blobfish, is a fish that adapted to the deep waters off the Australian coast.

Located 800 meters under water (roughly a half-mile down,) the pressure in the mesopelagic zone is 80 times greater than the pressure on sea level. Most fish use gas bladders to remain buoyant, but the pressure that far down would be too great for an average, gas-bladder equipped fish to efficiently survive. The blobfish's advantage is that its body consists of a gelatinous goo that is slightly less dense than water. This allows it to simply float along without expending any energy on swimming. The fish, which resembles a candle that's been burning for way too long, consumes whatever tasty morsels bob by its mouth, choosing to eat what's served to it. The unsightliness of the blobfish probably hasn't caused it to develop a complex, though. It lives in the oceanic equivalent of the sticks, so it doesn't get many visitors.

Posted by Mahdi at 12:06 AM